


Remembering the Stars

by magicianparrish



Series: Garrison Days [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Kerberos Mission, Post-season 7, Shiro tryin to mourn Adam here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 20:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16605278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianparrish/pseuds/magicianparrish
Summary: “You know you’re already forgiven,” a familiar voice came from behind.Shiro whipped around and saw a familiar red uniform. Keith walked up alongside Shiro and gave him a small smile.“Hard to tell what the dead are thinking,” he responded. He hoped a little morbid humor would help alleviate the pain.Keith shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe. But he had already forgiven you last time I saw him anyway.”______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In which I give the fic of Shiro trying to properly mourn Adam after he comes back to Earth to find he perished in the first wave of Sendak's invasion.





	Remembering the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Back with some Adashi angst. I can and will hope that Adam isn't actually dead when season 8 comes around in December. But until then, he is dead :( School is giving me angst so I took it out on my boy, Shiro. This is part of a series, you don't need to read them before this, but there are some characters that are mentioned in the other fics in this one, so it might make things more clear.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it! Wasn't beta'd or edited, so all mistakes are mine.

Shiro did not have time to fully process all the carnage that happened on earth from Sendak’s attack. Which wasn’t really anything new to Shiro, he hadn’t had much time to process anything that had happened to him since the Kerberos mission. Even in the astral plane, he was busy trying to communicate with Keith and the other paladins to warn them of his clone that was masquerading as him, but really a sleeper agent for Haggar. 

And now being the captain of the ATLAS, he had more paperwork to file through than he ever imagined. He practically lived in his office now rather than the garrison issued apartment. Shiro was fine with it, for the most part. He felt honored to wear the four stripes on his black uniform, and he felt that he deserved it. 

But today was an unusually quiet day for him. The thoughts he had sequestered to the back of his mind for so long, were now leaking to the forefront, and with them a heaviness in his heart. 

His footsteps echoed in the hallways of the garrison. Officers and cadets alike saluting and greeting him as he walked past them. Shiro smiled and greeted back before continuing on his way. Though he had only been to the room once before, when he first arrived, his feet knew where to take him. 

He scanned his hand on the access panel, hearing the affirmative beep and hiss of the doors opening automatically. As he walked in the lights in the large atrium illuminated, casting long shadows of the different memorials that had been erected over the years. He turned his head to the right and saw on the wall the portraits of all the  _ Veritas  _ astronauts that had perished in an engineering fault in the atmosphere. 

Shiro made his way over and stared at two of the portraits. Side by side to one another was a man and woman smiling wide for all to see. They were in the white pilot suits for astronauts, holding their helmets and flying the Japanese and American flags proudly behind them. Underneath their portraits was a golden plaque with their names scripted in. 

Natsumi Shirogane and Yamato Shirogane. 

And then above all of them in beautiful calligraphy letters: _to honor the brave souls of the Veritas, who yearned to touch the stars_ _and find the truth that lies beyond us._

Shiro was too young when his parents perished. He had been six and didn’t understand the implications of what happened. He can’t recall their voices from memory and what they were like. He only knew they existed because of his grandparents, photos and home videos. But space exploration must have been in their blood because Shiro went ahead and followed them to space. 

He stood in front of the illuminated portrait of his parents and bowed his head. Shiro was never one for religion, but he hoped his parents could see him from wherever they rest eternally. 

“I hope you’re proud of me,” he whispered. 

He looked up once again, their smiles forever shown in the memorial hall. Shiro pretended that they were smiling at him. He heaved a heavy sigh and then walked over to the memorial on the far side of the large room. 

It was much grander, but at the same time so impersonal. The memorial for all those who perished in the Sendak invasion. Names of every Garrison officer and cadet lined up neatly in small plaques. Their Garrison identification photo on display with their rank and name. There were hundreds of them, but Shiro was only looking for one in particular. Iverson had taken him to it when he arrived from space. It hurt the first time, and now finally having time to himself, it hurt even more. 

He found his name easily. It was in the middle of a row, right at eye level for Shiro. Staring back with a stone expression, was Adam. His best friend, his flight partner, the man he loved the most. The man he loved so much, that he left for space so he would not have to see Shiro disintegrate into himself any longer. The man he loved so much, but never got to say goodbye to. 

His chest felt like a weight had been dropped on it. Shiro found it hard to breathe for a moment, and then the tears started to fall. It was the first time since he came back that he allowed them to fall. It was like Adam was staring into his soul, blaming him for his death. 

Shiro could hear his voice. It had always been calm and soft-spoken, but firm at the same time. 

_ This is all your fault, Takashi. You loved the stars more than you ever loved me, and now I’m dead. I kept good on my promise.  _

Shiro knew that the voice in his head was not really Adam speaking. Just a demon pretending to be him. He knew that Adam would never say something like that. No matter how angry he got at Shiro he never blamed him for it. Adam had always been so forgiving. Even after he had spat the words that sparked their breakup at Shiro, he apologized later that week. Of course, it had been over an email, but he still reached out anyway. It was Shiro who did not respond, simmering in the anger still. Now it was one of his greatest regrets. 

He sighed and touched the plaque with Adam’s face on it. 

“I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me, Adam. You deserved so much better than this. Then your fate, and this impersonal memorial. They didn’t even have the gall to write your last name,” he let out a wet chuckle at that. It was full of bitterness. He looked at his first name written, and then the last initial. For all of the members of the Garrison. It was like they didn’t even try.  

“If I could bring you back, I would do it in a heartbeat.” 

And that was the tragic thing about war and mass death. Those who die become a statistic. This memorial in front of him was so vastly different than the one for his parents and their colleagues on the Veritas. It had been seven people. This was hundreds. Thousands. Possibly millions. And that was only on earth. And Adam had become one of them. The first line of defense against the Galra, an opponent they were not ready in the slightest to fight. Yet, he probably did it without any hesitation. 

Shiro knew Adam preferred to teach in the classroom. After their almost botched mission re-entering the atmosphere of Earth from their trip to Phobos, Adam preferred to keep his flights on earth. But he always knew that if duty called he’d go. Behind Shiro, Adam was the best fighter pilot the Garrison had. And he had been discarded like he was worth nothing. 

Sam had told him the story. Explained how he tried to stop Sanda from sending them out, knowing it would a suicide mission; but he could just not change her mind in time. It was not an easy pill to swallow. Shiro had heard the transmissions after he insisted against Sam’s hesitation. Shiro had just wanted to hear Adam’s voice one more time. The familiar deep timbre spread warmth inside of him as he listened, proud of Adam and what he achieved in the wake of his absence. He cut it off before the end, knowing he did not want to hear Adam’s final moments of being shot down by the Galra. Shiro wouldn’t have been able to deal with it. 

“You know you’re already forgiven,” a familiar voice came from behind. 

Shiro whipped around and saw a familiar red uniform. Keith walked up alongside Shiro and gave him a small smile. The younger man had some of his hair pulled back, he looked calmer than Shiro had ever seen him. Shiro managed a small smile of his own before wiping his eyes dry. 

“Hard to tell what the dead are thinking,” he responded. He hoped a little morbid humor would help alleviate the pain. 

Keith shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe. But he had already forgiven you last time I saw him anyway.” 

Shiro looked down at Keith. He was staring at Adam’s plaque with a neutral expression on his face. But underneath Shiro saw the pain. Adam had meant a lot to Keith as well. Took care of him when no one else could. 

“How was he?” Shiro asked tentatively. He would grasp at any knowledge he could get from anyone who had it at this point. 

Keith blinked and took a deep breath. “Sad. After the news broke, he just… kept to himself more than usual. Stopped smiling. Turned curt with students, kept things impersonal. Like he was trying to distance himself.” 

Shiro’s eyebrows scrunched together. It was hard to believe. Adam was soft-spoken and firm, yes. But one of the things students loved about him was how he was personable with them. Showed he cared about their needs. This didn’t sound like the Adam he knew. 

“Really?” he breathed out. 

Keith shrugged his shoulders. “A lot changed once the news of the Kerberos mission came out.” 

Shiro knew Keith was right. A lot had changed. 

 

* * *

 

Hunk and his family had invited all of the paladins and Shiro to a dinner at their house. Hunk insisted that everyone had to come and enjoy some good cooking, rather than settle for the standard issue garrison food from the commissary. After doing a quick check of his calendar, he agreed to join the fun. He would admit it would be nice to get some home cooked meals for once. 

It had been quite some time since he had one. And he didn’t really count the stuff in space. He had missed earth food so much, and he hadn’t even realized it. Before he left the Garrison grounds, he made sure to wear clothes that were somewhat decent. He opted out of wearing his uniform, but rather a button-down shirt (that of course had been modified for his prosthetic arm) and some dark wash jeans and casual dress shoes. 

Adam would have been proud of his new sense of style. He was always begging Shiro to dress better, and not like  _ the gym rat you are. _

He took his hoverbike out and made a pit stop into Plaht City. He went into his favorite corner store that had been rebuilt quickly after the victory over Sendak. He greeted the owner cheerfully before browsing the familiar aisles of alcohol. He picked up one of the bottles of sake he always used to get before checking out at the register. 

He conversed briefly with the man in Japanese. Shiro was glad he still knew enough to remember. It had been a long time since he talked to anyone in his home language. It felt nice to go back to old habits. As he checked out he gave the rest of the change to the man before walking out. 

The Garretts’ house wasn’t too far out from the main city or the Garrison. Shiro relished in the freedom that came with riding his hoverbike again. The wind whipping through his hair as he rode down the streets into suburbia. 

By the time he pulled up in front of the address given, cars were already parked and he could see silhouettes of people moving around in the modest household. He parked the bike on the street and grabbed the bottle of wine and knocked on the door. 

A moment later Hunk opened it and beamed widely when he saw him on the front steps. 

“Shiro! Welcome, man!” he greeted. 

Shiro let out a laugh and stepped through the doorway, taking off his shoes and placing them on the side. He let Hunk hug him, which he returned graciously. 

The house was warm, and the chatter of people conversing permeated the rooms. Hunk led Shiro through a living room, where he was greeted by Pidge and Lance with enthusiasm. Keith sat next to Lance and gave a smile at Shiro. It did not slip Shiro’s gaze that Keith had his arm around Lance’s shoulders, and he made sure to tell Keith that with the look he gave him before walking into the kitchen. 

“I brought some wine,” he told Hunk, holding the bottle in the paper bag. Then Shiro had the thought that his friends were probably still underage still. It made him feel immensely old. He cringed. 

“Some of you are twenty-one right?” he asked sheepishly. 

Hunk just laughed at Shiro and waved him off. He took the bottle from Shiro’s hand and placed it on the counter. Then he re-tied his headband and continued to chop tomatoes and onions for whatever dish he was making. 

Shiro walked over to watch Hunk in his element. Shiro had always appreciated how well Hunk could cook for everyone, and even make foreign alien foods delicious. Something was cooking on the stove and Shiro thought it smelled like fish. 

“What are you making for all of us tonight?” he inquired. 

Hunk seemed happy to oblige his questions. His brown eyes widened and brightened at the mention of talking about food. Shiro smiled down at him. 

“Making some traditional Samoan cuisine for you all. Hope you like fish,” he quipped. 

Shiro chuckled. He arched an eyebrow at Hunk. “I am from Japan, also an island surrounded by water. So to answer, I do enjoy fish.” 

Hunk let out a chuckle that Shiro knew he was embarrassed. Shiro wrapped his arm around Hunk bringing him in for a side hug. 

“Relax, Hunk. Now is there anything I can help you with here?” 

Hunk then relaxed as he continued to chop. “I think I’m set for now. But you can feel free to observe and ask questions though.” 

A pang of familiarity shot through Shiro suddenly. Though Hunk said it in a much more polite manner, it was the same things Adam used to tell Shiro when he offered his help in the kitchen. 

Adam scoffed and would bring up a time Shiro managed to fuck up in their kitchen, proving his point that he was not allowed to touch anything without Adam saying so. The kitchen was his domain, not Shiro’s. 

“It’s funny, my ex-fiance,” he started, but even referring to Adam as just an ex-fiance felt wrong. He was so much more than that. “Used to say the same thing to me all the time. Didn’t trust me around here with a ten foot pole.” 

A fond smile came onto his face. It had been getting easier accepting Adam’s death as time passed. It still left a bitter sensation if he thought too hard on it, but mentioning him was getting better and less painful. Hunk looked over at Shiro and smiled softly. 

“You should tell me more about him. Commander Wali,” he prompted. 

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before Shiro nodded. Adam deserved to be talked about at least. So people wouldn’t forget him. So Shiro wouldn’t forget. He crossed his arms over his chest. 

“He actually reminds me of you a little bit,” he admitted. There were a lot of similarities between Hunk and Adam now that Shiro thought about it. 

Hunk seemed intrigued by that. “Really? How so?” 

“Well, he was always the most cautious of our friends in the Garrison. The voice of reason, kind of like you. He worried about things going wrong, but still followed us anyway, just so ‘we wouldn’t yourselves get killed doing stupid things’.” Shiro made air quotes around that last part. 

Hunk let out a snort and opened up the lid to the pot on the stove, dumping in the chopped vegetables inside and turning the burner down to a simmer. “Well, he’s right. Though it is hard to imagine you being a troublemaker.” 

“You don’t know the half of it. I was able to convince him to get a tattoo with me, though he sulked the entire way there. Didn’t even hold my hand for support.” 

Hunk’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You have a tattoo? Oh my God. That is amazing, I gotta tell Lance, he’s gonna lose his mind.” 

“Well, unfortunately, it’s gone now. I got it on my right arm, which is you know, not there anymore,” he said waving his floating prosthetic. 

The yellow paladin visibly deflated. “Man, that sucks.” 

Shiro didn’t feel all that bothered by it, though he felt he probably should be. But it seemed so trivial in the grand scheme of things now.  

“He also loved to cook. He had this leatherbound book that had all these kinds of recipes from his grandfather that he always used to make food for us. He also had his own that he kept, they had recipes from all different cultures. Though I could never read them because I don’t read Pashto.” 

Even thinking about Adam’s cooking made Shiro’s mouth water. He would miss that dearly, and if he was able to cook himself, he would get a copy of that book so he’d understand it. Then he’d still have a piece of Adam with him somewhere. 

Hunk let out a hum and nodded his head. “Man, if I knew Commander Wali was a great cook, I think I would’ve liked him better. Though I could never a get a read on him, he was very private.” 

That did not surprise Shiro all that much. Even before he knew how Adam acted after his so-called death on Kerberos, Adam preferred to keep his life private. They were never openly intimate with each other in public when they were together. The occasional hand holding and a peck on the lips before leaving class would be the only indication they were together in the first place. And even then, it was mostly around their colleagues and not students. 

“He loved showing off his cooking to people. He used to host students who scored a ninety-five or above on his tests to dinner at our apartment. Mostly as an incentive to do well in his classes; but he would ask for their favorite dishes and cook it all for everyone to enjoy. I know his students loved it, and he did too,” Shiro reminiced. 

Those student dinners were always a fun time. The students who had been invited were always proud of their achievements. The smells of foods of all kinds permeated the apartment for hours, and it was always a good atmosphere to be in. 

“I didn’t know that was a thing he did. I took his advanced aeronautical engineering course, and he never offered something like that,” Hunk admitted. 

Shiro let out a low whistle. “You took that course? Did you pass?” 

Hunk scoffed. “Barely. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I’m pretty great at understanding the math that goes into engineering, but that class made me want to re-evaluate all my life decisions.” 

Shiro patted Hunk’s shoulder and smiled. “Barely passing is a great feat. Adam always made that class his most difficult. I think he secretly relished in having the hardest course at the Garrison.” 

Hunk gave Shiro a side eye with his lips pursed. “Did he like playing God?” 

Shiro raised his eyebrows in surprise and laughed. “If he heard you saying that he would’ve been scandalized. His cheeks would’ve turned red at the thought.” 

He could imagine Adam’s face at that statement. His hazel eyes widening behind his glasses and his eyebrows shooting up underneath his fringe. His tan cheeks tinting red from blush and embarassment. 

Hunk continued to walk around the kitchen preparing all that needed to be done. He was now washing butter on top of rolls that he just took out of the oven. “Why is that? Also, can you get that pan for me and put on the island?” 

Shiro nodded his head and did what he was told. “Adam was very pious. He did all his Muslim duties everyday without fail. Comapring him to God would have flustered him.” 

Though Shiro himself wasn’t nearly as religious, he respected that about Adam. It was his own special thing he did for himself everyday, and he never made a big deal out of it. Shiro remembers Adam tearing up when he decided to fast during Ramadan with him because he loved him. Hell, they even shared their first kiss in a field outside Adam’s home in Afghanistan during Eid-al-Fitr. 

“That’s cool. Well, I think the food is all ready. Wanna help me carry it all out to the dining room?” 

“Absolutely.”         

* * *

 

It took all his nerve to knock on the front door of the house he was standing in front of. Shiro had driven all the way out to Nova, Arizona, which was at least a good hour away from the Garrison to be here. He felt it was a necessity, and part of the closure process that he was struggling to find his way to the end of; something his Garrison issued therapist had suggested he do in fact.

He felt the weight in the pit of his stomach as he waited for someone to answer the door on the other side. He faintly heard footsteps pattering on the floor and then the door was opened revealing a face nearly identical to Adam’s. The only difference being there was a trimmed beard on his face, and his hair was long. His hazel eyes were wide as if he was seeing a ghost in front of him. 

“Shiro?” he breathed out, “you’re alive?” 

Shiro stumbled upon the discovery of information regarding Adam’s family by accident. He wasn’t exactly looking for them, but rather information on where Adam’s possessions went after he died. That was how he came across his twin brother, Hakim and his family was living close to the Garrison now instead of in Afghanistan. 

All Shiro could do was sheepishly smile and nod his head. Hakim stared at him for a moment longer, his eyes wide and his mouth open, before he ran up and crushed him in a hug so tight he felt his ribs creak under the pressure. Shiro returned the gesture with ease. 

He had only met Hakim a handful of times because Shiro did not make the trip back to Adam’s home with him often. But sometimes Hakim would make a visit to them, and the three of them would enjoy each other’s company. Shiro loved watching the two brothers interact with each other. It made him wish his family hadn’t been estranged after his parents' death, so he would’ve seen his own younger brother Ryou more often. Though Ryou and his father’s parents lived in Japan full time, while Shiro lived with his mother’s parents in California. The two sets never liked each other all that much and preferred to keep each other away. It reminded Shiro to check up on his own estranged brother when he got back to the Garrison. 

Hakim pulled away after a few minutes of embracing each other. He took a step back and gestured inside.

“Please, come in Shiro,” he invited. 

Hakim led him inside the house after Shiro took his shoes off, and gestured for him to sit down on the tan couch in their living room. He then walked away, deeper into the house leaving Shiro alone for a minute. The walls of the house were painted a tan color and there was a television hanging on the wall across from him. A piano sat on to his left, filled with sheet music on the stand as well as a variety of other knick-knacks. Next to the television was a collage of framed photos. 

Shiro got up to look at them closer. Inside the simple black frames were photos of Hakim and his siblings. Adam was in a lot of them, sometimes with his sisters Rashida and Fatima, sometimes just with Hakim or with his parents. There was a photo of a wedding day with a beautiful sunset as the background, showing Hakim and his wife smiling lovingly at one another. There were others of children who he didn’t recognize. 

“The boy is named Hasan, and the girl is Ayeda,” Hakim said from behind. 

Shiro turned around to face the man. Hakim gave him a soft smile and raised his hands which were carrying a tray with a kettle and some teacups on it. They sat down on the couch together and Hakim started to pour some tea for himself. 

“Would you like some as well?” he offered looking up at Shiro. 

“That would be nice, thank you,” Shiro accepted. 

Hakim nodded and poured some more into a second cup. He opened up more containers which had cream, milk, and sugar inside. 

“What do you prefer?” he asked. 

“Milk is fine for me,” Shiro said. 

He stirred both cups, placed them of saucers and gave one to Shiro. Shiro took the cup off the saucer and placed it gently back on the tray, holding the cup with his prosthetic hand. Hakim let out a chuckle. 

“I guess having a hand made of metal means you won’t feel the burn of touching hot things,” he jested. 

Shiro chuckled at the joke and took a sip of tea, but burned his tongue in the process. He hissed as he pulled back. He smiled over at Hakim. 

“That may be so, but my mouth still burns,” he joked back.  

“I have missed your sense of humor, Shiro,” Hakim complimented. 

The two of them sat on the couch together in an amicable silence for a few moments both sipping their teas. Shiro broke the silence first. 

“So those children are yours?” he asked, though he, of course, knew the answer. 

Hakim smiled, his hazel eyes full of fondness and love at the mention of them. He nodded his head, putting the teacup and saucer back on the tray. He crossed his legs and arms and leaned back on the couch. 

“Yes, I love them very much. Hasan is just a five months old, but his personality already shines brightly. Ayeda loves being his older sister and helping her mother out of course. Though she does have the habit of putting Hasan in her play stroller, which is always funny.” 

Hakim took out his tablet and pulled up an album of photos. They went through them together, with him explaining the story behind every photo. The oldest one was of him and his wife together in what looks like a makeshift hospital holding a baby bundled in white cloth. 

“When was this taken?” Shiro asked. 

“This is the day Ayeda came to us. It was just a month after the first Galra attack, and we sought asylum at the Garrison.” 

Hakim’s voice took a solemn tone as he remembered. Shiro watched him take a deep breath. 

“Adam had begged our family to come live in the states, closer to him. He didn’t tell us why he was so insistent but just kept saying he wanted to keep us safe. Roshni and I had just gotten married, and we wanted to start our family. So we moved; I always wanted to be closer with Adam anyway. I did not like how far apart we were, we were always supposed to be together,” he explained. As he continued his voice got quieter. 

Shiro could not imagine the pain he must have felt when he heard that Adam had died. 

“Soon after, Roshni discovered she was pregnant, and the whole family was so excited. Adam came to visit more often, wanted to check up on us to make sure we were adjusting well. He was so excited to have a new niece to spoil.” 

A few tears leaked from Hakim’s eyes as he sniffled and wiped them with the back of his hand. Shiro moved to wrap his arm around Hakim and embrace him again. Shiro felt his eyes watering too. 

“He always wanted kids of his own,” he said. 

Shiro nodded. He knew that well enough, and at one point he had hoped he could have that with Adam. But then came the diagnosis of his disease that screeched his life to a halt, and built in a deadline Shiro faced head-on. It changed his priorities, and Adam just couldn’t make himself okay with it no matter how hard he tried. 

“Then he died in the first wave attacks. As soon as we saw the ships we drove as fast as we could to the Garrison. Thousands of people had the same idea. They took in the sick and the elderly, and children. Because Roshni was so close to term, they allowed us in as well. We were so fortunate.

“It was chaos inside. We were down by the hangars, and I was so lucky enough to spot Adam. I called his name, as he rushed to get his pilot uniform on, but he came over. He hugged both of us tightly, and his eyes were teary and tense. I remember he dug into his uniform and pulled a chain out with a locket and handed it to me. He said to keep it safe. Then he kissed Roshni on the forehead and said he loved us but he had to go. And that was the last I saw of him.” 

By this time, the tears were coming down in abundance from Hakim’s face. His breathing was heavy and rapid as he tried to control it. He tried to tamper his cries, but the sobs erupted anyway. Shiro felt his heart break all over again watching Adam’s brother relive their last moments together. 

“Roshni gave birth a month later. We both agreed to name her after Adam, so we settled for Ayeda.” 

Hakim had controlled his sobs then and was wiping the remnants of his tears off his cheeks. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before looking back at Shiro. 

“He loved you, Shiro. When he first developed his feelings, he was sick with worry about going against the Quran and Allah for loving a man. But I told him that Allah created him just the way he intended to, and he still loved him anyway. 

“And then you broke up, and died all the way out on the edge of our solar system, and he was struck with grief and guilt. He believed Allah was punishing him for loving and being with you, by killing you so far away from where he would never see you again. I reminded him what I said to him all those years ago, but he just shook his head. He told me he could not fight his feelings for loving men, though the Quran said it was forbidden; so to avoid further punishment and for penance, he would simply never love another man again. And he followed through. He loved you Shiro quite literally until his dying day.” 

Hakim got up and walked away, leaving Shiro’s mind reeling. A new wave of guilt and sadness overcame him, hearing about Adam’s troubles within himself. He did not want Adam to blame himself for what came to Shiro at Kerberos. 

Hakim came back a moment later with something in his hands. He gently put it into Shiro’s. Shiro looked down at the locket that he had never seen before. He opened it up to see a photo from the day they got engaged inside. A tear came down off his face and hit the photo softly. Shiro gently wiped it away and closed it again, clutching it tightly. 

“He told me to keep it safe, and I think what he really wanted was for me to give it back to you. I have other things of his that you may want too, some journals and his cookbooks.” 

Shiro simply nodded his head in agreement. The two men then walked up the stairs to the second floor of the house. It was obviously a storage room of some kind, but Hakim knew exactly where everything was. He pulled out some notebooks, all leatherbound from a drawer that required a key to open. Then he gave them to Shiro. Shiro recognized all of them. 

“You gave him the top one, didn’t you? As a parting gift when he first came to the Garrison?” Shiro asked. 

Hakim smiled. “Yes. He always loved to write his thoughts out on paper, so I thought it would be a fitting gift for him to remember me by.” 

“Thank you for these.” 

Hakim shrugged. “I think he would want you to have a part of him. I know how much you appreciated his recipes.” 

Shiro did not stay much longer after that. Hakim had given him a bag for all the books and soon he was being seen out. 

“The one thing that gives me peace at night is that Adam is reunited with our family in Jannah and that he is not suffering anymore. He will always watch over us, just in ways we cannot see. Goodbye, Shiro. Thank you for everything you gave to my brother.” 

* * *

 

After, it got easier to remember Adam.     

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed it! I wanted to leave it on a hopeful note so it wouldn't be extremely sad. There was so much potential for Shiro's character development with his relationship with Adam, but alas we were robbed. So I tried to do it myself (hopefully with some success). 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! Thanks for reading!


End file.
